1999 German Grand Prix
1 August |officialname = LXI Großer Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland |circuit = Hockenheimring |location = Hockenheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 6.823 |laps = 45 |distance = 307.035 |pole = Mika Häkkinen |polenation = FIN |poleteam = |poletime = 1:42.950 |fastestlap = 1:45.270 |fastestlapdriver = David Coulthard |fastestlapnation = GBR |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 43 |winner = Eddie Irvine |winnernation = GBR |winnerteam = |second = Mika Salo |secondnation = FIN |secondteam = |third = Heinz-Harald Frentzen |thirdnation = GER |thirdteam = }} The 1999 German Grand Prix, officially advertised as the LXI Großer Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland, was the tenth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Hockenheimring near Hockenheim, Germany, on the 1 August 1999.'German GP, 1999', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr640.html, (Accessed 28/08/2019) The race would see Eddie Irvine and Mika Salo score a one-two for , as the two hit trouble. Qualifying had seen Mika Häkkinen secure pole position as usual, although there was a surprise appearance for Heinz-Harald Frentzen in second, with the particularly competitive. David Coulthard hence started from third ahead of Salo, while Irvine claimed fifth behind his new teammate. The start saw Häkkinen translate pole into an early lead, blasting away at the head of the field as Frentzen and Coulthard comparatively crawled off the grid. That allowed Salo to streak past the pair of them to secure second, while Irvine got caught behind them and duly slipped behind Rubens Barrichello. Yet, Irvine's hopes were not lost, for Barrichello, who could not match the lead group's pace, would retire early on with a hydraulic failure. That put the Brit back into fifth, just in time to see Coulthard begin an attack on Salo, the Scot having already passed Frentzen. Ultimately Coulthard would cause a second accident in as many races, smashing into the back of Salo and destroying his front wing. He duly limped back to the pits for a new nose, while Salo carried on in second with no signs of significant damage. Irvine duly battled past Frentzen to claim third during the pit window, a period which ultimately settled the race. Indeed, Häkkinen was the big loser as a failure in his refuelling rig cost him a lot of time, dumping the Finn back down to fourth behind Frentzen. With Salo and Irvine now running one-two, and with a healthy gap back to Frentzen, the Ferrari team played their familiar hand, ordering Salo to allow Irvine through. The Finn duly did so before settling into the Brit's shadow, with the duo running nose-to-tail for the rest of the afternoon. Behind Frentzen would run in third, while Häkkinen's race was to be ended prematurely by a spectacular tyre failure on lap 25. Indeed, fresh out of the pits the Finn was hurtling down the back straight at 200 mph, only for the left-rear tyre to fail and send the McLaren spinning across the gravel trap at the entry to the Stadium. Häkkinen fortunately clambered out uninjured, although would later appear furious in the McLaren pitbox. On track, meanwhile, Frentzen tried his best to stay with the two Ferraris, while Coulthard battled his way up into the points having picked up a ten-second time penalty for passing Olivier Panis off track. Ultimately, however, there was no stopping Irvine, who duly swept across the line to claim victory a second ahead of teammate Salo. Frentzen was a happy third at his home race ahead of Ralf Schumacher, while Coulthard recovered to fifth ahead of Panis, a quarter of a minute off the leader. Background The early collision between Mika Häkkinen and teammate David Coulthard may have proved crucial to the outcome of the Championship, for it had ensured that the Finn's Championship lead had been almost completely wiped out. Indeed, race winner Eddie Irvine had closed to within two points of Häkkinen at the head of the field, ten points clear of the injured Michael Schumacher in third. Elsewhere, Heinz-Harald Frentzen had closed up on his absent compatriot, while Coulthard completed the top five. In the Constructors Championship it had been an even day for and at the head of the hunt, meaning the gap between them remained at two points. Behind, had lost more ground in third, but with having failed to score the Irish squad were still in a fairly secure position. Elsewhere, completed the top five, three behind Williams, with in sixth. Entry List The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Qualifying Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Herbert was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance. Milestones * 50th Grand Prix entry for Luca Badoer.'1999 German GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1999&gp=German%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 28/08/2019) * Tenth race for Marc Gené and Pedro de la Rosa. * Mika Häkkinen claimed the 100th pole position for a chassis.'10. Germany 1999', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1999/allemagne.aspx, (Accessed 28/08/2019) * Eddie Irvine claimed his third career victory. * scored their 124th win as a constructor and engine supplier. * Maiden podium finish for Mika Salo. * Tenth fastest lap recorded by David Coulthard. Standings Eddie Irvine used his third win of the season to establish himself at the head of the Championship, leaving Hockenheim with an eight point advantage. Mika Häkkinen was his closest challenger having lost the lead, with the Finn still the favourite as the battle for the Championship entered its final third. Behind, Heinz-Harald Frentzen had moved into third, nineteen off the lead, with Michael Schumacher hanging onto fourth ahead of David Coulthard. In the Constructors Championship it had been a very good afternoon for , with a one-two finish ensuring they scored maximum points. That took their tally up to 90 points for the campaign, which translated to a sixteen point advantage over in second, who had arrived in Hockenheim just two behind the Scuderia. Behind, had reinforced their grip on third ahead of , with nine constructors on the board. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1999 Grands Prix Category:German Grand Prix